Only 23 years old, Surrey’s student entrepreneur of 2012 has already established 11 startups, mostly in the fields of marketing and technology.

The first was in high school, when he was 16. Called Auto Quick Trade, it eased buying and selling cars over the Internet.

“I was trying to buy my first car, and I was worried about getting a bad deal, and I had a lot of friends who were familiar with how to buy and sell on Craigslist,” Cheng said. “It just made sense to build a service that is an alternative to a dealership and selling direct — kind of like hiring someone to help you buy or sell on Craigslist.”

One of his most recent start-ups is WittyCookie, a company that builds and helps maintain websites for small businesses. The company, founded in 2011, employs up to 40 people, including designers, developers and videographers. More than 600 businesses subscribe for a modest monthly fee.

“When people get a really good website for $20 a month, they’re usually very happy to recommend us to their friends and family.”

Brings TED to SFU

Cheng also brought TED Talks to SFU. He’s such a fan of the successful American series of inspirational lectures that he applied for and received a licence to hold them at SFU.

Last year, the Surrey Board of Trade named Cheng the city’s 2012 Student Entrepreneur of the Year.

Cheng is an undergraduate with SFU Surrey’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology and a client of SFU’s Venture Connection, an initiative designed to inspire and support entrepreneurship at the university.

“He has very big dreams of shaping a bright future for his community,” Venture Connection manager Janice OBriain said of Cheng. “He’s quite ambitious, and he’s naturally innovative. He’s pursuing entrepreneurship with a passion.”

Cheng has been an active networker. OBriain said he is a regular at Venture Connections workshops, seminars and speaker events.

OBriain added, “I would say he’s very hard-working and he’s been wonderful at responding to our requests when we need students to speak, and acknowledging the support we give him.”

Hard worker

Last December, Cheng received what may be his biggest honour yet. He was selected for the 2013 cohort of The Next 36, a collaboration between government and the private investor aimed at transforming Canada’s most promising post-secondary students into leading entrepreneurs.

The students work in teams to conceive and develop ideas. Each team receives up to $80,000 to research, develop, prototype and pilot a new venture in the mobile environment. They are also exposed to some of the country’s key entrepreneurial leaders, such as Jim Pattison.

“It’s about trying to find the next Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, but here in Canada,” Cheng said of Next 36.

Cheng started brainstorming with the other two members of his team in December. They began developing a product shortly afterwards. He can’t say too much about the project, but he does allow that it is software to help human resources, recruiters and employers find the right people for job openings.

Cheng arrived in Surrey from Hong Kong with his parents when he was seven. An only child, he was given lots of freedom growing up.

“That may or may not have contributed to (my) interest in entrepreneurialism, which is all about freedom, and being really hands-on,” he said.

His father is a store manager at Price Smart; his mother is a receptionist at a dental office.

Cheng said money isn’t his No. 1 priority, except for improving the living conditions of his family. He still lives with his parents.

In business, his goal is to “have fun making a difference, solving problems. Problems are all around us, and I think it’s the responsibility of an entrepreneur to solve those problems and to sustain that solution through a profitable model.”

Web presence is key

One of those problems, as Cheng sees it, is affordable websites for small businesses.

“The most important thing for any business these days is to have a presentable website,” Cheng said.

Finding an affordable way to do that can be difficult for new business owners already strapped for money and time. “I felt a strong need to create a solution for those small businesses starting out.”

Although his resumé suggests he’s a bit of a commitment-phobe when it comes to his businesses, Cheng is sticking with WittyCookie for now.

“It’s a business that’s close to my heart. Essentially it helps small businesses, and after doing a number of them myself I really understand the struggles of the small business owner.”

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